A French court on Thursday fined French state energy giant EDF 1.5 million euros ($2 million) for spying on environmental campaigners Greenpeace. An investigating judge had charged that the energy firm hired private firm Kargus Consultants to hack the computers of the former head of campaigns for Greenpeace France, Yannick Jadot, in 2006.
Greenpeace's anti-nuclear campaigning regularly targets EDF, which runs France's network of 58 electricity-producing nuclear reactors. It spearheaded a years-long campaign to block the construction of France's new generation nuclear reactor in Flamanville on the north coast.
EDF had insisted during the trial that it had not sanctioned the hacking, saying Kargus had violated a contract under which it was to simply "monitor" Greenpeace's activities, in particular in regards to Flamanville. Two former EDF executives responsible for security at the group were also found guilty. Pierre-Paul Francois was sentenced to three years in prison.